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HOW DOES THE KELP SARGASSUM IMPACT TOURISM?

Sargassum covers popular white sandbanks turning the pristine waters brown and leaving a strong odour - alarming residents, businesses and tourists.

It's likely to have an impact on holidaymakers in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Quintana Roo, Florida Keys, Miami Beach and Palm Beach, say scientists. 

Hotels have placed nets to try to keep it away from the beaches while workers and volunteers collect up to a ton day using shovels and barrows.

But removal is time-consuming and expensive and, for many, ineffective. It can pile up to 10 feet high - causing coastal 'dead zones'.

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